Gullard

From Worlds of the Aether
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Gullard
250px
Racial statistics
Type: Humanoid
Origin: Natural
Size: Medium
Height: 1,8-2m
Average lifespan: 65 years
Climate: Humid terrestrial
Innate abilities: TBD
Worlds: Chowin

Gullards are a race of predatory, bipedal, flightless avians from Chowin, known for their resemblance to seagulls. Once the dominant race of their world, they are reduced to small, native populations living in the wilderness or hired guns.

Biology[edit | edit source]

The main race of gullards resembles upright herring gulls, with the exception of shorter tails, bigger eyes and another pair of sharp-taloned arms in place of wings. They are predatory and aggressive in nature, but history reduced them to either technology-shunning native tribes or opportunistic scavengers with a reputation for cannibalism.

Another, smaller race of gullards more closely resembles black-headed gulls, with the same exception as above, as well as not possessing the namesake black heads. Much less aggressive in nature, they are nevertheless still scavengers who prefer to live off the scraps thrown out by the human civilizations.

History[edit | edit source]

Gullards, specifically the high gullards, were once the dominant race of Chowin. The very name of the world comes allegedly from some word in one of their now-forgotten languages misheard by the primitive humans. According to archaeological evidence, they had a number of large empires sprawling all over the globe, but clinging to seas, oceans, large rivers and big archipelagos. Around 6,000 years ago, they reached the level of late Iron Age. They hunted humans and gnomes for sport and food, pushing them deeper into the continents and into the less fertile lands.

Around 6,000 years ago, humans began expanding and raiding the gullard civilizations. Eventually, the intensity of these increasingly organized raids led the gullard civilizations to a total collapse. Because Gullard languages and writing were completely incomprehensible to humans, they engages in a complete extermination of the race and its culture. The race itself only very narrowly avoided the fate by escaping to the same backwoods they once pushed humans to, but their ancient languages and art were completely wiped off the face of the planet.

For a few brief centuries, a number of warlord human kingdoms popped up in the former centers of gullard civilizations. Those kingdoms were very unstable and often changed names and expanded and shrunk with every season. Little is known of these kingdoms, but a few names survive in myths and modern literature, recounting the tales of the Forgotten Kings. This system eventually collapsed, and all of Chowin devolved into a Dark Age of tribalism and technological obscurantism.

About 3,700 years ago new human civilizations grew out of the Dark Age, holding gullards of old in contemptuous myth. Gullards, of both races, continued to be persecuted, often being expelled from various kingdoms and civilizations. It was only about two centuries ago that they were commonly accepted into cities, but the masses still fear their size, sharp beaks and talons, and predatory nature. In the modern wars of the Chowinese Revolution, gullards are often used as expendable storm troopers who can quickly rip through whole corps of unprepared infantry with ease.

Races
Common races Human - Elf - Dwarf - Gnome - Halfling - Orc - Goblin - Goliath - Giff - Dohwar - Mercane - Oni - Reigar - Sphinx - Dracon
Other races Aboussaur - Ajazy - Android - Aperusa - Aureal - Baku - Blemmye - Boggard - Bugbear - Cactusfolk - Catfolk - Cecaelia - Centaur - Cerebromorph - Corallite - Craner - Crion - Cynosurine - Darfellan - Dragonid - Ereleshku - Ettin - Finchkin - Gargoyle - Ghilani - Giant - Girallon - Gnoll - Grav - Grippli - Gullard - Hadozee - Harpy - Hobgoblin - Hamsterling - Hopslet - Hothak - Hurwaeti - Hydross - Kappa - Kenku - Khorak - Kobold - Korraw - Kyton - Lektin - Lizardfolk - Locathah - Ma'yee - Medusa - Merfolk - Minotaur - Molekin - Myconid - Myrmidon - Nephilim - Naga - Nerugi - Nsing - Oortling - Osh'wari - Paprot - Plumkin - Polarid - Raptoran - Ratling - Salamander - Saturnite - Satyr - Scorpid - Sea Devil - Sealkin - Shivan - Siyokoy - Syrinx - Tanukki - Telchin - Thorak - Tiefling - Treant - Triton - Troll - Trox - Ursine - Vagash - Vannara - Vegepygmy - Velocix - Venerean - Vespene - Vroomn - Vyrhuo - Wayang - Wurm - Xantid - Xill - Xiwangmin - Xixchil - Yaksha - Yapper - Yeti
Spiritual races Akashic - Angel - Demon - Ghost - God - Worldmother - Wraith
Undead races Draugr - Death knight - Écorché - Ghoul - Jiangshi - Larva - Lich - Mummy - Natural undead - Vampire - Zombie
Extinct races Bond'wari - Titan - Xa'tac - Yellowstone Progenitors